DisclosurePolicy.org - well intentioned, or a scam?

I don’t get it. You have highlighter ads in your post, yet you make no obvious disclosure in your post about them? I mean, the Google ads are clearly marked, “Ads by Google.” But the others are not marked… are these links you specifically placed out of your own free will. Are they automatically generated? I need to know. As a blog reader, I must know if those links in your above post are forms of compensation. But… you make no disclosure in your post. None.

Yet, you bash PPPers for doing the same.

Way to be hypocritical.

“But, you’re paid to write stuff about XYZ!”

Yeah, and you’re getting paid to let some program automatically place links on your page. So what’s worse? I can specifically choose what appears on my blog. Can you?

Hi Justin, thanks for dropping by, I’m not giving an opinion one way or the other on this, if you go back and read back a bit further on this blog, you’ll see that I’m actually a strong advocate of people’s right to use PPP. (I use it myself on other blogs of mine)

You’ll notice if you read the post again that I haven’t used terms such as “I think….” or “I believe….” with intent, as these are not necessarily my opinions, just the opinions I know a lot of people in the blogosphere hol.d.

You’ll also find that I have a disclosure policy here on this site in the “welcome and about” page.

I’m not specifically bagging out the people from ppp on this, just commenting on Arrington’s post, and pointing out the fact that the key issue, the area which most of the nay-sayers seem to have a problem, of disclosure on a post by post basis has yet to be adressed.

You’re right, the highlighted links are ads, I do choose what I write in my blogs, I wouldn’t bother blogging otherwise. Yes the highlighter ads are chosen by software, but if I were to start writing posts to try to pull in highlighted keywords (which I don’t), would I be any worse than someone who does the same thing to pull high paying AdSense ads?

This whole issue perplexes me, it seems that one must be either 100% behind ppp, or a 100% basher. I am neither, I think it’s a cool system, and have made my share of cash from it, but I can also see that it has its problems which need addressing. Sheesh, the world would be a boring place if everyone was 100% one way or the other on every topic.

Hypocrite? I don’t think so.

Thanks for dropping by, your comments are more than welcome!

But, can you choose what your highlighter links? That was all I was saying there. We can both choose what we write about… however, regardless of click-throughs, I get paid. That’s what the appeal is, I believe, at least until PPP implements a ranking system which will determine how much a particular blogger will be paid for a post.

But, you’re right. I was in the wrong frame of mind when reading your piece. It was more middle of the road than I was taking it. Obviously. :-\ My apologies.

Hi Justin, yes I can choose which words are highljghted, and I can tell the highlighter to ignore certain words as well.

My understanding is that ppp are working on a tool just like you said, where bloggers with better blogs get higher paying opportunities. this will be good!

No need to apologise, healthy, animated discussion makes the blogging world cool!

798006 Blog Verification…

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I can see what all the fuss is about (readers don’t want blogs becoming commercial platforms), but it’s been on the cards since people realised that blogs were a good way to acquire an audience. I can’t see why people are kicking up so much fuss..

AdSense is marked with a little “Ads By Google”, so why can’t PP posts be marked with a little “Paid Post From Company Name”? No-one complains about other ads on blogs.. even those that aren’t marked (graphical banners).

Besides which it’s up to the bloggers. If you don’t like it - move on.

I’m with you on that one Will, I reckon a little disclaimer at the start of every paid post is the way to go

As a PPP blogger who was “black-listed” - I honestly don’t know why a select few have such issues with bloggers being paid to write for an advertiser. I would say the majority who are using PPP, like myself, are smaller, personal blogs who did not receive enough traffic to generate revenue for Adsense or any other graphical/text advertising site. My paid posts are clearly marked under a category, “Paid Posts.” I did this before the disclosure site was formed, by choice, for my readers. I, at least, give anyone reading my blog a choice-read the post or not. I don’t trick them with strategically placed ads, (leading one to believe the link is within my own site). If those of us who write ads instead of installing code are being told we should disclose we’re being paid- I believe any blogger using advertising for revenue-whatever service it may be-should disclose this fact as well.

Hi Beth, first, thanks for dropping by.

When you say you were blacklisted, I assume that you mean that you lost readers because of payperpost? Me too, it’s a shame, but I’ll get over it.
I did the same as you, placing all my paid posts in the category “Pay Per Post”, but I guess that that wasn’t obvious enough for some readers.

You make good points!

I haven’t lost readers- some guy posted a blogroll that was formed of PPP Posties on his blog and told his readers we were to be blacklisted as blogs not to read. The only thing he really managed to do was increase our traffic for several days. If I have lost readers due to using PPP-I’m over it, they weren’t worth bandwith. Skipping through posts are easier than skipping a flashing advertisment or accidentally clicking a text link that isn’t part of a site.

Skipping through posts are easier than skipping a flashing advertisment or accidentally clicking a text link that isn’t part of a site.

I disagree. I can quite easily block most types of ads. Paid posts aren’t always so easy to distinguish between non-paid posts e.g. I can’t tell from the RSS feeds I subscribe to whether or not they’re paid until I visit and spot the PPP flag. Not every blogger makes their PPP posts so distinct from their non-PPP posts, just as you might see bloggers trying to blend in their text links.

It seems as though some people don’t liked to be duped into reading a post that’s paid and others don’t like to be duped into clicking a link that’s sponsored. Can’t please all of the people all of the time…

Fool, Burt has an interesting post on this very topic at the moment at osworld.biz.

Hey Beth, mind posting a link to that list?